Soap Stars
by writer writing
Summary: Lois and Clark go undercover on the set of a soap opera.
1. Chapter 1

"I assume you two have heard of _Love and Passion_?" their temporary editor, Stern, asked them when they entered his office.

Clark and Lois looked at each other uncomfortably. They hadn't spoken any further on the subject of their breakup and working together was proving difficult. They both wondered if he was trying to put them back together with some sort of strange counseling session.

"I beg your pardon?" Lois said, looking distrustingly back to Stern.

"The soap opera," he explained. "It comes on at 1:00 on STA."

"I don't understand, sir," Clark said, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

"There is trouble on the set. Someone has been sending threatening notes to one of the current stars of the show, a Melissa Daggert."

"I don't mean to sound unconcerned, but isn't it fairly common for a star to get all sorts of creepy and threatening letters?" Lois asked.

"Whoever is sending them is starting to step it up a notch from the average nut, and there is reason to suspect that it is the same person that killed Lillian Decker, an actress who was also on _Love and Passion_, last year. They never found her killer and now it looks as if the killer might strike again. I want details about what is going on and what is being done about it."

"Do we need to set up an interview?" Clark asked.

"Better yet, will this take two people?" Lois asked.

Clark was hurt and looked at Lois, but she wasn't even looking at him.

"Oh, there won't be an interview. I want the both of you, emphasis on the both, to go undercover. Nothing clams up a star in regards to their personal life like the press."

"Undercover as what?" Lois asked.

"As actors on the show. I've set you both up with well-known talent agents, who know your situation and will keep your secret, and it just so happens that there are two openings for a male and a female part."

"I can't act," Clark and Lois said simultaneously, both in concerned tones.

"I don't know about that. Lane, you're a first-class liar, not that I'm knocking it, it's more than necessary in both your work as an investigative reporter and your work as an actress. And you've both done a great job of pretending for the past couple of days that you were never in a relationship and that you're still capable of working together."

"That's a low blow, Mr. Stern," Lois said.

"If you want to refuse the job," he continued, "it's fine with me, but you had better head over to classifieds for tips on other openings."

"We'll take it, sir," Clark said.

"I can speak for myself," Lois said, speaking to Clark for the first time that day. She turned back to Stern, "I'll take it."

"I knew you would. You are to report to the STA studio at 2:00. You'll get the lowdown on how your new job will work, but remember it's secondary to finding out more about the notes and the investigation. You won't have to audition as your talent agents are respected enough that you've already been hired."

He gave them a paper with more details about their assignment and Clark and Lois left the office.

"It looks like we're going to have to work together again," Clark tried to say cheerfully.

"Says who?" Lois asked. "We can go our separate ways in the studio. We simply have to collaborate on the story at the end."

"Lois, we have to talk."

"Later, we have 30 minutes to get over to the studio." 

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Clark and Lois walked into the lobby of the studio. It was a very expensive, modern lobby. There was lots of glass and metal in the room and comfy, but richly fabriced chairs and sofas, as well as plenty of reading material.

They spotted a beefy-looking security guard, who stood at the entrance into the other part of the studio. He looked at them suspiciously as they approached the desk. "May I help you?" he asked.

"We're the new actors that were just hired," Clark explained.

"I'll need to see some ID," the guard said. They had been given fake ID to hide their identities as reporters. Clark was Andrew Donavan and Lois was Kristin Hayes. They handed over their fake licenses. He checked the list he had to see if their names were on there. "You're clear. I just need to take your pictures, so I can print you off some studio ID."

They took turns setting on a stool against the wall, and he snapped their pictures and then printed their IDs. He slipped the cards into clear plastic holders and handed them their IDS.

"You will wear this on the premises at all times except when you're actually filming. You can imagine the number of people that will try to sneak into the studio to watch the filming."

They nodded in agreement. He pushed a button that opened the metal door and it opened into a spiffy hallway with yellow walls and pictures from the show hanging on them.

The assistant director, Bob Carlton, was waiting for them and after a quick introduction, he took them on a tour of the studio. They saw the prop shop, the costume shop, the dressing rooms, the hair and makeup department, the editing room, and the set where they would be filming. They were taken to the writing room last and met the writers for the show. They were introduced especially to a writer named Mark.

Mark shook their hands, "Do you watch the show?"

"I think my ex-girlfriend used to watch it," Clark said.

He got a glare from Lois.

"From high school," he clarified.

"My sister watches it sometimes and keeps me informed," Lois said, "but I don't half listen to her when she rambles on about it to be honest."

"I'll leave Mark to explain the characters' history to you as he created the characters to begin with," Bob said. "We're getting ready to shoot some scenes and I have to be there. You two won't begin filming until tomorrow. You can go back to your dressing rooms and your scripts will be waiting for you. Get to work on memorizing your lines."

Mark lead them over to a group of chairs and began to explain. "Your characters' names are Emma Gerald and Collin Forrester. You live in the town of Terrington. Emma, you have lived in the town your whole life. You were born, well 8 years ago, but you are an adult now."

"That's convenient," Lois remarked.

He continued, "You have one older sister, who you don't like because she flirts with everyone in town and has tried to steal your man. Your mother and father were separated, well, a couple of times actually, but they always manage to get back together. They're together for right now, although things are about to get a little heated again. You haven't had much of a chance to date a lot of guys because your parents are so protective and you still live at home, but you've been secretly dating someone behind their backs."

"Well, you can't have much of a soap opera if I'm living like a nun," Lois said.

"Exactly," said Mark, pleased that Lois got it. He turned to Clark, "You are new in town. You're a bit of a lady's man. Your father lived here for awhile as a young man and you're searching for your roots. He walked out on you and your mother as a child, so you wanted to learn more about him. While you were here you met a young woman, who you fell in love with. You were going to elope with this woman. If you haven't figured it out yet, you two were going out with each other."

Both Clark and Lois shifted uncomfortably at this piece of information.

"Ready for the twist?" he asked with an excited gleam in his eyes. "You see your father was a lady's man too, Collin, and he had an affair with Emma's mother around the time Emma was born, when her parents were having difficulties. Emma's mother confessed to it when she caught wind of the elopement and a DNA test proved that you are indeed brother and sister, well at least half brother and sister." Mark noticed Clark and Lois' slightly disturbed faces. "Good reaction, guys. Remember that when you're filming. Now Emma was really upset at the news, as you might imagine. She got into her car and in her state of shock, she was hit by a train."

"Wouldn't that kill me? I mean Emma?" Lois asked, getting into the story despite her aversion to soap operas.

"Not necessarily," Mark said with a smile. "Right now you're in the hospital, receiving plastic surgery and when the bandages come off…"

"There will be a new face, my face."

"That's a girl," Mark said.

"What about me?" Clark asked.

He shrugged. "We don't always explain new faces. That's what has happened so far, but things are about to get even more interesting."

"That means my sister has been throwing herself at our brother. I guess that's sweet revenge."

"Actually, she's your half sister, your father's daughter, so she's not affected by it," Mark said. "Although she has become your stepsister now."

"And I thought real life was complicated," Lois said with a shake of her head. "It almost makes my life look like a bed of roses."

"You'll find out what is coming up next when you read the scripts and remember you're under obligation not to tell anybody what's coming up, not your family and especially not the press. I look forward to working with you."

Clark and Lois went back out into the hallway. "What do you think we should do now?" Clark asked.

"I think, Andrew, or should I say Collin, that we split up like I told you before."

He almost started to say Lois but then caught himself, "Kristin, can we meet after work to talk? We can get a drink somewhere."

It looked for a moment as if she were about to relent, but then her walls went back up. "Right now we have a job to do." The men and women's dressing rooms were at opposite ends of the studio, so they went in different directions.

Suddenly a piercing scream came from somewhere in the studio.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Clark and Lois both ran to the spot where the scream seemed to have come from. The door required an ID scan to be opened. Clark was ready to pry the door open without one, but Lois pushed him out of the way and used her ID. The door opened with a small noise.

"Cut," yelled the director and then she shot them an annoyed look, along with Bob and the rest of the cast and crew. The woman, who had screamed and had fake blood oozing from the corner of her lip, looked the most displeased of all. She got up off the floor, took a napkin and spit into it, and then wiped the blood off on her chin.

Recovering from his shock and feeling very foolish, Clark managed to say, "Sorry."

The woman director said very icily, "When the light above the door is red that means we are filming and not to come in. Got it?"

Clark and Lois both affirmed that they got it. Clark said another quick sorry and they exited again.

"Great way to make an impression on our first day, don't you think?" she said dryly.

Now that they were away from all the disgruntled faces, he couldn't but smile, "I guess we're too used to the screams being real. We'll have to get used to fake screaming."

"Something could have been happening during the filming. They should make sure they warn everyone that there will be screaming, especially with the danger right now. Back to our original plans?"

"You mean your original plan?"

She took it as a yes and started heading toward the women's dressing rooms.

He sighed heavily. Just when he thought they were starting to make a little progress. He headed toward the men's dressing rooms.

Lois decided to take a look at the script first. She would have to attempt to memorize these lines sometime between now and tomorrow. She found her dressing room that Bob had pointed out earlier. The script was lying on a vanity table.

She looked disgusted as she read and then snorted as she found out what the new twist was. Emma was pregnant. "Isn't that wonderful," she said to herself.

She took a good look around her dressing room. There was a TV, a sofa, a chair and vanity table, and a little table next to the sofa with a snack tray. "Not bad at all." She left her dressing room to find Melissa.

Lois knocked on the door with Melissa Daggert written across it in embossed letters and the woman called, "Come in!" She had somehow thought it would be harder to find her, or at least harder to gain access to her.

Melissa was an attractive woman, as were most soap stars. She had platinum blonde hair, long rose pink fingernails, and a winning smile on her face, "Are you the new assistant?"

"Not exactly," Lois answered. She took a quick look around the room. The dressing room looked the same as Lois' except that it was perhaps a little bigger and dressed according to Melissa's tastes.

Melissa's smile had vanished and Lois quickly explained, "I'm the new actress that is set to play Emma."

Melissa laughed, "Well, in that case, I am your sister."

Lois smiled. "I see. You're the one who is trying to steal my man, or should I say my brother."

"That's the one. You gave me a scare. I thought you might be my number one fan. Have you heard about that?"

"I've heard a little," Lois said. She hadn't expected that it would be this easy to get her to open up either.

"I imagine the press is going to have a field day with this, but on the bright side, it's liable to boost ratings."

"That's one way to look at it. You mean the police still don't know who this so-called fan is. I thought they had all this fingerprinting and handwriting analysis junk," Lois said, trying to sound like she didn't half know what she was talking about.

"I know, right? But the words are being cut out from magazines and he or she is using gloves, so apparently there isn't much they can do."

Lois would have loved to ask to see the letters, but that would be too suspicious. She would have to break in when Melissa wasn't there.

"Would you like to run lines?" Melissa asked cheerfully. "We have a scene together tomorrow."

"Sure," Lois answered gladly. She hoped to form a friendship with Melissa to make the investigation easier and she had never had to act before, so any help would be appreciated. "Just let me get my script."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Clark had looked at the script and shaken his head at the absurdity of it. He decided to see if there was anyone that he could draw into a conversation about the letters. He hung out in the hall waiting to see if anybody came along.

"Are you lost?" asked a man, who looked to be in his 40s.

"Not really. I'm new here, Andrew Donavan. I'm playing Collin. Are you one of the actors?"

He offered his hand, "I am. I'm John Critzer. I play Emma's father, Bruce Gerald, or her stepfather I guess, I can't even keep up with all the twists and turns."

"Is it a nice place to work for?"

"It can be. It's a little tense right now what with the strange letters Melissa Daggert has been getting, the same thing that happened to Lillian last year. Lillian was a lovely woman. It was such a shame what happened to her."

"Out of my way," grumbled a buff man in his late 20s, who might have been more pleasant to look at if he didn't have a scowl on his face.

"Quite a fellow, isn't he?" John asked, after he was out of sight. "Did you know that he used to date Melissa? She broke up with him because she said he was too aggressively jealous. Sometimes I wonder if he isn't the one who has been sending those letters. He dated Lillian too come to think of it."

Clark knew it was probably nothing more than workplace gossip, but nonetheless it was a starting place in terms of possible suspects. "I have to find someone. It was nice meeting you and I guess we'll be working together real soon."

John gave a short wave as Clark hurried off.

sss

Lois sighed, "I sound horrible, don't I?" stopping the reading. The way Melissa was looking at her, she knew it was true.

"Don't worry about it," Melissa said, changing her expression to a bright one again. "Did you know Lucille Ball had the same problem?"

"And what problem is that?"

"She sounded horrible when she was reading the script. If someone was listening to an I Love Lucy script read, and were not familiar with her work, they would have said fire the redhead."

"Well, it's nice to know I'm in good company," but Lois didn't feel relieved. She knew she would be no Lucille Ball when she hit the set.

"Just try and forget that you're reading a script."

"I'll do my best."

They began the scene again.

"So you got yourself in an accident. It will be interesting to see how you look when the bandages are removed," Melissa's character said.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you were driving the train, dear sister."

She laughed. "You're wrong on two accounts. First off, I have an alibi and second of all, we aren't really sisters anymore, are we?"

"Were we ever?"

"Good point."

"Just because I can't marry Collin, don't think that gives you an opportunity to sink your claws into him. You're not his type."

"I'm every man's type. And you had better be nice to me. I could hurt you more than you could possibly dream of and it wouldn't have anything to do with your physical wellbeing," Melissa said in a cold and calculating voice, so unlike her own.

There was a hard knock on the door and then Clark burst in.

"Oh, you're rehearsing lines," he said with obvious relief in his voice. Then he turned a deep red. That was the second time that day he had confused the acting with real life. "I just I heard about what's been happening and I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"That's really sweet," Melissa said, smiling.

"I'm sorry," he apologized and then he was gone as quickly as he came.

"Should we try again?" Lois asked.

"My voice is starting to get dry. Let's take a break." She went over to the snack tray where she had a pitcher of ice water sitting on it. "Would you like a glass?"

"Sure," Lois said. "Thank you."

Melissa brought her the glass and sat down again. "Is he the other new actor?"

"Yeah," Lois answered, trying to keep neutral on the topic of Clark, so she didn't make Melissa suspicious about anything. She took a sip of her water.

"You are a very lucky duck. Did you know that you're set to start filming a love scene with him the day after tomorrow?"

Lois choked on her water.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as she got over her sputtering cough, Lois asked for clarification, "By love scene do you mean—would that include the removal of clothing?"

"That is exactly what I mean," she answered with a smile.

"But he—I—he's my brother!"

"Is he really?" she asked with widened eyes.

"No, not really," annoyance filtering into her shock. "I just meant the characters are sister and brother."

She smiled, "It's good that you're getting in character, but as long as you're not really related."

"But a love scene! A real honest-to-goodness love scene?"

"Is it the clothing part you're worried about? You do know we aren't really naked when we're under the covers or in a shower, don't you? We wear nude suits. I don't think too many husbands and wives would let their spouses do it otherwise."

"I know but…" Lois couldn't explain without putting her and Clark's covers at risk.

Melissa was sympathetic. "It is a little strange the first time, but it becomes quite mechanical and all business, trust me. Especially when the filming of a love scene lasts for hours."

"Hours?" Lois echoed, looking dazed.

"You're not a virgin, are you?"

Lois snapped out of her daze, "That's not the point. It's just that I've never had an audience before."

Melissa laughed. "It's nothing that we aren't used to around here. No one will look at you funny I promise."

"It's not just that. I've just gotten out of a relationship with someone recently."

Melissa's interest visibly perked. "Oh?"

"I've come to the realization that all of my boyfriends end up breaking up with me at some point."

"So he broke up with you? You can do better."

"Actually I broke up with him, but he said he wanted a break, which is the nice guy way of saying let's break up permanently, so I beat him to the punch."

"Sometimes they really do just mean a break," Melissa said.

"I really thought he was the one this time. I still think he is."

"Has he called you?"

"Not exactly, but he did say he wanted to talk."

"Then talk."

"I can't right now. I just—I can't."

"If you really think he's the one, it's worth the risk."

She shrugged, signaling she wanted to drop the subject.

"And don't worry about the love scene, you'll slip into character on the set and you'll forget about your ex and the audience. You want to try reading through the script again?"

Lois wasn't reassured but she wanted to get her mind on something else, so she agreed to it.

sss

The next morning Clark and Lois met at the Daily Planet before they went off to the studio.

"Where did you take off yesterday?" Clark asked before they went into the editor's office.

"I had errands."

"We're supposed to be working together."

"We'll be working together soon enough, believe me."

Before he could ask her what she meant, she had already knocked on the door.

"Come in." As soon as he caught sight of them Stern asked, "What have you gotten so far?"

"I think I've got a good suspect," Clark offered.

"What have I told you about not getting involved in the story? You're not a detective. What have you gotten so far, Lane?"

"I've made friends with Melissa Daggert. I'm working on getting her to open up to me about it."

"Now that is what a real reporter should be doing. Take note, Kent."

"How long are we going to be on this story?" Lois asked.

"No more than a week. I'm hoping there are more developments and that the police find out who it is. Otherwise, we'll work with what we have and I'll move you to something else."

"You don't think we'll wrap it up by tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"Not unless the police do. You better get down to the studio and get to work."

"Yes, sir," they answered simultaneously.

Clark didn't get a chance to speak with her privately again because he had work to do as the Blur.

sss

Lois didn't have to get her hair and makeup done that day. She just had to get her face bandaged and put on a hospital gown, an article of clothing she was all too familiar with. They had gone over blocking and camera rehearsal that morning. Everything had gone okay, so far; everyone still thought she could act. She took a deep breath, as deep as she could with bandages over her mouth, as she joined the cast and crew on the set.

Part of the set was decked out like a hospital room. If Lois hadn't looked up and saw the lights hanging above them, she would have sworn they were in a hospital room. Well, that and there was no wall in front of them. She climbed onto the bed and pulled the cover over her. She was thankful to see that there was a teleprompter, but her view was obstructed somewhat from her bandages. She hadn't memorized her lines as well as she should have.

"Action!" called the director, Millie Treves. Lois had gotten to know their director during the rehearsals. She wasn't all that pleasant to work with. There was an almost constant tension on the set as everyone waited to see who she would yell at next.

Melissa strolled into the fake hospital room. Lois was amazed at how different Melissa was when she was acting. Even her walk was different.

"So you got yourself in an accident. It will be interesting to see how you look when the bandages are removed," she sneered.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you were driving the train, dear sister," Lois said. She was glad that she had remembered her line, but that was about as far as it went.

"Cut!" Millie yelled. "We'll have to take it from the top." Melissa moved back to her original spot. "Ms. Hayes, I would like a little emotion if you don't mind and you were looking at the camera. Never look at the camera. Now Action!"

Lois couldn't help it. She made the same mistake again.

"Cut! Ms. Hayes, it's not too late for us to get someone else. Let's try this one more time," said Millie in a very irritated tone.

Melissa gave Lois' hand a reassuring squeeze. "You can do this. Just pretend the cameras aren't there."

Lois nodded. Melissa was right. She had to pretend she was undercover and that the cameras weren't there, before she was fired and lost the story and her job at the Planet again.

Melissa and Lois heard a creaking sound above them and looked up. The lighting instrument directly under Melissa had come unbolted and was plummeting toward the star.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

In the next instant, Melissa found herself on the ground. Somehow she had been pushed out of harm's way. The light hit the floor with a heavy thud and the lens shattered, sending pieces scattering across the floor. Lois looked up again. She didn't see anyone on the catwalk.

Lois got off the hospital bed to help Melissa up. Clearly the Blur had come to the rescue. She was glad or she might have gotten her wish about finishing up the story today and she didn't want it finished that way.

"It was a good thing the Blur was watching," Melissa said with a slight tremble in her voice. "You don't think he's a soap fan, do you?"

"I doubt it," Lois answered.

"I'm okay, everybody," Melissa announced in a louder voice to the stunned cast and crew.

"Who hung up that Fresnel?" shouted Millie suddenly coming to life.

No one answered and Millie got up from her chair on a crusade to find someone on the lighting crew.

"Somebody took the film!" said the stunned camera man. Nobody really paid him any attention. By this time, they were too busy talking about what had just occurred. The Blur had successfully protected his identity.

Lois pushed her way though the confusion and chatter to Clark. He had been watching the filming.

"Did you see what happened?" Lois demanded.

"I know. That light could have killed her."

"I mean did you see anyone suspicious lurking around?"

"I wish I did."

Millie was back at her chair. "I want some quiet!" The set instantly became quiet. "I have fired the man who hung up the Fresnel. I think we should call it a day. Some of you are shaken up and I want the lighting rechecked. I'm going to postpone this filming for Thursday, but tomorrow will continue as usual, since you should have already started memorizing your lines." Lois swallowed heavily and looked toward Clark. He didn't look phased. He must not have seen the script yet. The people began to disperse.

"Let's hurry and take a look up on the catwalk for any evidence," Lois said. She didn't wait for Clark to comment but was already heading for the stairs. Clark had no choice but to follow.

Their footsteps echoed on the metal platform, but nobody was paying them any attention. There was still plenty of volume going on to cover it up.

Clark saw a dark metal piece laying on the edge of the silver platform. He picked up the c-clamp that had held the Fresnel up with the handkerchief in his pocket. He held it out for Lois to see. "This was not carelessness on the part of the lighting crew. This clamp was sawed off."

Lois studied it and agreed with his conclusion. "Well, that tells us one thing. This is a closed set. It's not just a crazy fan. It's someone who works here."

"We should leave this here for the police to find and get off of here before someone starts to suspect us."

They climbed back down and went to their dressing room to grab their scripts and Lois had to change. Almost everyone was leaving, so they decided there wasn't much they could do there without raising suspicion.

Lois had her keys in her hand and was about to get in her car when Clark called out, "Wait."

She waited. He had the script in his hand. "Have you looked at the script for tomorrow?"

She waved her own copy. "Unfortunately."

"How are we—I mean people will be watching—um, perhaps, we should practice, so we don't get fired."

Lois was about to protest, but then she realized she was already in hot water after today. They had to be good. They had to be better than good. "I suppose you're right. I'll follow you out to the farm."

sss

They sat on opposite ends of the couch in silence. Lois cleared her throat. "It's unfair, isn't it, but Emma is supposed to get flashbacks when she finds out she is pregnant. They apparently never showed that scene and even if they had, they like to refilm scenes to match the actors new faces."

"It's to be expected on a soap I guess," Clark said. He looked down at his script. "Apparently we come back to my apartment and we're kissing passionately. Ready to try it?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said, standing up.

"We should probably go outside for the full effect."

She nodded. They moved outside and waited at the front door. Clark slowly and hesitantly put one arm around her and his other hand on the door. She moved for his lips. She was afraid of all the emotions it would bring bubbling to the surface. She hadn't moved on like she thought he had and she didn't want Clark to see her vulnerability, so she was going to make this as quick and as painless as possible. She crashed hard against his lips. He was startled but quickly got into it. He remembered to open the door and go inside in the hazy recesses of his mind. They spent a few seconds kissing. Lois was the one to pull away. She quickly turned her eyes to the script in her hand. Emma was the one to pull away in the script too.

She read her line. "My parents would kill me if they knew where I was at right now." The script called for Clark to put his arms around her. She made the mistake of looking at him, but then she was sure that Emma had to look at Collin too. Her heart was pounding in her ears.

"It's just you and me here." He gave her a slow kiss.

Lois pulled away again and read, "I mean if we were married, they'd still disapprove, but they wouldn't kill me."

He pulled off an imaginary marine's ring that Collin wore, and he took Lois' hand and slipped it on. "Then consider yourself engaged."

Lois bit her lip hard and looked away to collect herself.

"If you want to stop—" Clark began sympathetically.

"No," she turned sharply back and looked at the script. "We have to do this." She managed to smile like the script called for and draw him into a kiss.

The rest of the script called for them to move to the couch. She would have to unbutton his pants and he would remove her shirt and then he was supposed to carry her to the bedroom. They had agreed on the way into the farm that they would stop once their pants and shirts were gone because they didn't have real nude body suits.

However, their shirts and pants came off, and they weren't making a move for the bedroom yet. His hand pulled down one of her bra straps.

"I don't think this is in the script," she mumbled halfheartedly when his lips moved to her neck.

"Consider it a rewrite."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

A sharp ring interrupted them.

"You should get the phone," Lois said.

"Whoever it is can wait," Clark said, not wanting to lose the moment.

"Answer the phone," she said more firmly.

He knew the spell was already broken. "Hello?" he answered, not as friendly as his usual hello, and sat up. "Oh hi, Oliver…what…oh, no." He looked at himself and Lois and how they were barely dressed. "Thanks for the warning," he said, quickly hanging up.

Lois was sitting up on the couch trying to catch her breath and process what happened. "What did he want?"

"Apparently Chloe is on her way over to talk to me. In fact, she left a few minutes ago."

They both jumped off the couch and quickly gathered their clothes and started putting them on. Clark was buttoning the top button to his shirt and Lois was zipping her pants when Chloe came through the door.

"I thought you guys broke up," Chloe said with widened eyes.

"This isn't what it looks like," Lois said quickly.

"Why do people always say that and it's almost never true."

"It is true," Lois said, with a look in her eyes that dared Chloe to contradict it.

"We're working on a story for the Planet," Clark explained. "We have to pretend to be actors for a soap opera and we were rehearsing a scene."

"Which soap?" Chloe asked interestedly.

"_Love and Passion_," Lois answered.

"Oooh, does Lucy know?" There wasn't a member of the Lane or Sullivan family who was not aware of Lucy's love affair with the show and if they were polite enough to pay attention, they were also aware of the show's entire history, which was a long history considering the show had been on for a couple of decades.

"No, and I want to keep it that way," Lois said.

Chloe snorted.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I've got some things I need to do. And not that there will be a next time, Chloe, but you could try this thing called knocking."

Chloe smiled, knowing full well that Lois hardly ever bothered with knocking either if the door was unlocked.

Clark grabbed Lois' wrist. "Now can we talk?"

"Later," she said.

Clark let out a heavy sigh as Lois left. He was beginning to hate the word break. He had tried explaining that it wasn't what he had meant. He just had to prove to her that he never wanted a break in their relationship not now or not ever.

"So what was that about?" Chloe inquired.

"It was exactly like I told you. We were rehearsing a scene for the show."

Her expression showed that she was waiting for more.

"Okay, we got a little carried away, but I can't help it. I love her."

Chloe got more serious and sympathetic than she had been up to that point. "She loves you too, but she's been through a lot. It's more than just broken romantic relationships. She lost her mom at an early age, her dad wasn't there for her emotionally, and Lucy was sent away to boarding school. You might as well say she lost her entire family when she was 6. It's hard for her to accept that someone loves her and is going to be a permanent fixture in her life."

"I know that and believe me, I'm not giving up. I'm in this for the long haul. So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"It can wait. It's kind of lousy timing."

"Go ahead and tell me anyway."

"I'm taking a job in Star City with Oliver's company. It's a more convenient spot than from current headquarters, easier for people to get to compared to Smallville."

"So you're moving?"

"Yeah."

"Does Lois know?"

"Not yet."

"When are you going to tell her?"

"Soon but not too soon. I'm going to wait until she's in a better mood. I know she's strong and independent, but…"

"It's seemingly another person walking out of her life."

She nodded.

"Let me know when you tell her."

"I will."

sss

Lois had tried yesterday to sneak into the dressing room, but Melissa had been there. The door to the dressing room was locked. She took her credit card out and swiped the simple lock. She carefully and quietly went in.

She didn't want to draw attention by turning on the light. She pulled out the flashlight she had brought along and started looking. She found the letters at last in Melissa's jewelry box. She pulled them out as carefully as she could. They were a couple of pairs of earrings sitting on top of them and she didn't want to move the jewelry out of place in case Melissa was an observant person.

"I watch you, Melissa. I watch you when you go into your apartment on 22nd street. I watch you when you come into the studios. I watch your terrible acting. Judith is a slut like you. The one nice thing I can say is that you fit the part perfectly."

and

"Melissa, if you had any brains, you'd go ahead and kill yourself. You'd save yourself a lot of misery, the fans of the show wouldn't have to watch your ugly face, and I wouldn't have to do a messy job."

It was definitely a couple of disturbing letters. She heard someone coming and quickly stashed the letters back in the jewelry box. The footsteps had stopped right in front of the dressing room door. Lois quickly looked for a place to hide.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

After surveying the room, she realized that there was no place she could hide without being in plain sight. She took a deep breath and smiled, hoping she could talk her way out of this.

She let out a sigh of relief and annoyance when she saw that it was Clark. She flipped off her flashlight. "What are you doing in here?" she asked.

"Checking on you and I thought you might be interested in knowing that Melissa is getting out of her car as we speak."

They hurried out and shut the door softly back.

"I think we should talk," Clark said.

"I think you're right. We haven't talked about this story since we got it."

He nodded reluctantly. "That wasn't what I had in mind, but we do need to talk about that too."

"We can talk in my dressing room."

"There's a sentence I bet you never thought you'd say. I still don't believe we have dressing rooms."

They took a seat and Lois began, "She has gotten a couple of creepy letters. I just read them and I think it's either a girl that is jealous of the attention she gets as an actress/woman or a guy that was interested in her at one point and that she may have even dated, because they seemed to reference her character's promiscuous behavior and he or she called her a slut, not a real fan of her acting either."

"Interesting you should think that. I bumped into one of the actors and learned from another source that he dated both Melissa and Lillian. I'm not sure who he plays on the show, but it's possible that he could be jealous of other men and her acting as well."

"I'd say that sounds promising, but it's not like we can print that unless the police come to that same conclusion or we'll just be sued for slander. What else do we know?"

"That someone sawed off the light that fell. I checked with the police this morning. They were called in to investigate and came to the same conclusion we did, so now we know that there are definitely attempts on her life from someone inside the studio. We just don't know who."

"I hope they find the person soon. I'm afraid something serious is going to happen to Melissa and I'm tired of acting already."

"Now that that's out of the way, can we talk about us and what happened yesterday?"

"Things got a little out of hand. It's perfectly alright. Although truthfully, I don't know how it helped to prepare us for today. We can't get that into the scene and we will have an audience that we didn't have yesterday, but I think we'll be fine, despite the fact I was never a fan of PDA. We can wing it."

"That wasn't exactly what I wanted to talk about either."

"It wasn't?" Lois asked, playing dumb. She didn't want to hear Clark apologize or make an excuse for what happened.

There was a knock on the door. "Hair and makeup."

Clark sighed. "We're not done yet. I want a rain check."

"I don't know what else we need to talk about, but sure. Oh, and make sure they smooth your foundation. There's nothing worse than a sloppy makeup job."

He grinned, glad that she was at least warming up enough to tease him, even if she doing some heavy avoidance. "Don't worry. I'll check their work."

They both had to head to hair and makeup. Melissa was unlocking her dressing room. She seemed surprised to see them coming out of Lois' dressing room together, but she smiled and whispered good luck.

sss

Lois tugged her knitted sweater down. It was suffocatingly hot. It was summer, the lights on the stage were on, and she was wearing winter clothes because the scene had taken place during winter, not to mention she was wearing a nude body suit under her clothes. She was surprised the makeup wasn't running off her face. The one thing she was thankful for, regarding having to do this scene, was that she would be shedding this sweater pretty soon. Well, that and there wasn't a whole lot of lines that she'd had to memorize.

"Now that you've had a walkthrough to see how the blocking is going to work, we're going to start filming," Millie explained to Clark and Lois. "I realize that there may be mistakes, since you have not gotten a chance to rehearse, and that is okay for today because we're skipping rehearsal. I have a feeling this may take awhile and I don't want to lose anymore time. I still have my eye on you though, Miss Hayes. I hope you're better today than you were yesterday."

"I hope so too," she muttered under her breath. She joined Clark beside their designated spot.

"Do you really want us to kiss?" Lois asked. She had heard about there being such things as stage kisses where the actors didn't really kiss.

"No, I want you to play patty cake," Millie said sarcastically.

"Okay. I just wanted to be sure."

Lois felt a little awkward at first as they started the scene and she was sure Clark did too, but maybe it didn't show in their acting because Millie didn't stop them.

Once they got into kissing hot and heavy, they all but forgot where they were at. They remembered to follow the script, but they didn't have trouble executing the actions.

"Cut!" They pulled away completely out of breath and wishing they were in private without the suits. "Now that is what I am talking about. I haven't seen that much chemistry since Spencer and Hepburn. You two may just make it in this business after all. I want to try this scene again. Kristin, there was definite emotion this time, but I would like you to be a little lighter in the beginning. You know your parents would be mad, but you don't really care. Andrew, you didn't sound completely convinced when you said it's just you and me. I don't have anything to say about the sex scene. You nailed it. Put your other clothes back on and we'll take it from the top."

One of the lowly paid assistants came up to Millie, looking distressed.

"Oh, what is it?" she asked sharply.

He whispered something to her.

"What?" she asked this time with less annoyance and more shock.

"Melissa's dressing room is on fire!"

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

"Well, then call the fire department! What are you telling me for?"

The man was clearly unnerved and becoming more unnerved by the minute. "I mean there was a fire. It's out now, but they thought it would be best to evacuate the building for today until they get to the bottom of it."

"Great. At this rate, we're going to be canceled. Well, you heard the man. That's a wrap."

Lois started to go, but Clark held up her clothes. "You might want to get dressed first."

She snatched the clothes away.

As soon as they were changed, they went to Melissa's dressing room to get a look at the damage and check on Melissa.

There was a small crowd gathered around the door, including a couple of firefighters. The sofa was blackened, but otherwise the damage didn't look too heavy.

Melissa was staring at her dressing room with a vacant stare. Lois took her aside. "It may be a good idea to stay with somebody for awhile. You can stay with me. My roommate won't mind. It's also a good deal outside of Metropolis. It's a small town, so you're less likely to be followed and it would be noticed if you were."

"I've had a couple of offers, but I thought—I don't know. I guess I'd better. I just have to answer some questions for the fire chief when he gets done examining the room. Do you mind waiting on me?"

"That'll be fine. I'll wait out front."

Clark was talking to one of the men. The man looked angry. Lois wondered if that was the temperamental ex-boyfriend. "Mind your own business!" the man shouted before stalking off in the other direction. Clark looked like he wanted to follow him. Lois nodded her head to signal that he should. He nodded back and took off.

Lois went outside and was moving toward her car when a woman in her thirties with short curly brown hair stepped out in front of her. She had a pad and pencil in her hand. "Metropolis Star. Are you the new actress on _Love and Passion_?" she asked eagerly, almost accusingly.

"Excuse me, but I don't have time for this right now." She tried to sidestep the woman, but the woman stepped with her.

Lois had never been on the other side of this sort of thing before. She had always been the one doing the questioning. She folded her arms and glared.

The woman continued like nothing had happened. "How do you like the actor playing your romantic interest; he's being played by a new actor too, isn't he?"

"Yes, and he's fine. Now if you would please—"

"Do you have a sizzling romance behind the scenes?" she asked, interrupting.

"I don't see how it's any of your business." Unfortunately, she did see how it was her business. The entertainment section thrived on actors' personal lives. She was glad that she was a reporter that covered more hard-hitting news.

"What about Melissa Daggert? Do you have any comments on her?"

"She's a joy to work with. I've asked you politely to move. The next time—"

"What about—" she came to a sudden stop as Melissa joined them. The reporter's eyes glittered like a criminal in a bank vault. "Melissa, are you still receiving threats?"

"The police are handling it and I have absolute faith that they will solve the case."

"How is this affecting your performance? Can your fans—"

Lois had already gotten in the car. Melissa got in too. She cracked her window. "Tell them to stay tuned to _Love and Passion _to find out."

Lois pulled out. "Thanks, you handled that well. I think things were about to get a little ugly."

Melissa smiled. "Reporters can be a pain in the butt."

"I wouldn't go that far. I'm sure there are perfectly lovely reporters."

"Lovely in the sense that they can boost your career. That's why you have to play nice if you can help it."

"I'll keep that in mind."

sss

Lois stopped in front of the apartment door. "It's a bit of a mess. Would you wait for a second while I straighten up?"

"Oh, that's okay—" Melissa began, but Lois had already dashed into the apartment and shut the door. She quickly scanned for any pictures lying about of Clark. She found a couple and stuffed them in her sock drawer. She turned to a puzzled Chloe and whispered, "I'm Kristin Hayes!"

"What?" Chloe whispered back, wondering if Lois had been knocked out one too many times.

"I'm Kristin Hayes. We've got company."

"Oh," she said, realization dawning that it had something to do with her story. "Got it, Kristin."

Lois opened the door. Melissa stepped in and looked around. "Nice apartment." Her eyes fell on Chloe. "You must be Kristin's roommate," she said.

"It's nice to meet you," Chloe said politely.

"I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here. Someone set fire to my dressing room in an attempt to kill me, so Kristin graciously offered the use of your apartment."

"You must be scared."

"You get used to the threats, but when the threats start becoming real…yeah, I'm a little shaken up." She smiled in an obvious attempt to shake off her fears. "I heard that Kristin and Andrew had a fire of their own on the set."

Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"The assistant director said that he hadn't seen that steamy a love scene since…well, since never."

"Really?" Chloe repeated in a different tone, mirth barely being restrained as she took a look at the flushed Lois.

"I think that's enough talk about fires for one day. Let's talk about lunch," Lois said.

Melissa and Chloe laughed as they followed her to the kitchen area.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Lois couldn't get the image of Clark out of her head. It was like he was burned onto the back of her eyelids because every time she shut her eyes to go to sleep that's all she saw and the past couple of days had given her new images to play with. Therefore, she was having trouble sleeping.

"Lois, I need to talk to you," Chloe whispered.

She sat up straight. "What's the matter? Did something happen to Melissa?"

"No. Everything's fine. I just have something important to tell you."

They went downstairs, so Melissa wouldn't hear anything.

"Well?" Lois asked after they had been seated at a table for a few seconds. "It must be pretty important if you have to drag someone out of bed in the middle of the night."

Chloe took a deep breath. "I'm moving out and I've got a job."

"I knew it would happen sooner or later. Our apartment wasn't really designed with two people in mind. Have you found another apartment?"

"Yes. It and my new job are in Star City."

"I see."

"I couldn't turn it down."

"You mean you couldn't turn Oliver down."

"Lois—"

"No, I get it. The man becomes more important than the family. I didn't expect anything different. I'm a big girl, Chloe. I've lived by myself before. In fact, I prefer it that way." Lois stood up and moved toward the door leading outside.

"Where are you going?" Chloe asked, following her to the door.

"Out," she said, shutting the door behind her and not waiting for Chloe's response.

Lois settled on going to the park. There was complete solitude at night in Smallville's park except for the mosquitoes. At least, that was usually the case. She heard the sound of footsteps approaching the bench she had claimed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not looking at him directly but knowing it was him as he sat down beside her.

"I figured you could use someone to talk to right about now," Clark said gently.

"Well, you figured wrong. I just want to be alone."

"No, you don't," he said, contradicting her. "You just feel alone right now."

"Because I am alone," she snapped.

"I'm here."

She snorted. "Until you need a break from me."

"How many times do I have to tell you that isn't what I meant."

"And what did you mean?"

"I was preoccupied at the time."

"Even if that were true, it would only be a matter of time before you meant it in the sense of let's break up permanently. Even my own cousin is deserting me."

"She's not deserting you. She's just putting her career over her personal life for now like a lot of people do, and not that unlike someone else I know. She cares about you and I know she is going to miss you."

"I'm not the kind of person you miss."

"You're the kind of person that one misses so much that it hurts and you don't even want to go on without them."

She looked startled and turned to face him for the first time. He had so much raw feeling in his voice.

"I know a lot of people that you have loved and who have loved you have ended up leaving you, but what will it take to convince you that I not only love you, I will never leave you?" he said, moving closer to her.

"Something would end up taking you away from me. You'd die, get tired of me, or we'd find out that our parents had an affair and we're really siblings like Emma and Collin," she quipped.

"I can promise you that there's no chance that we're even remotely related and I would never tire of you, how could I? I love you. I can't promise you that I won't die, no one can, but as long as there's breath in my body I want and need to spend it with you."

Her eyes shimmered. "Do you really mean that?"

"I really do."

"What if you had to choose between me or the greater good? You would choose the greater good, God's will, whatever you want to call it, wouldn't you?" she didn't say it harshly, but as a fact that didn't need answering.

"And that's not at the top of your list too?"

"It is," she conceded.

"I know it is. That's why we work so well together. Some people have themselves at the top. Some people have career at the top, but we both consider the greater good. Do you know what comes second on my list?"

"I bet it's your mom's apple pie," she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

He smiled, taking hope from the twinkle. "It's not far behind," he said, joining in the humor, but then he quickly got serious again. "It's you, Lois. It's you and it always will be. I love you more than my own life."

"I love you that much too. That's why I'm so scared."

"You don't have to be. We're meant to be together. I know it. It's a part of that greater good. So can we please stop taking this break that I never wanted in the first place?"

She nodded.

His warm lips moved against hers and comforted her and relaxed her in a way that it hadn't since they broke up.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

For the longest time they just sat on the bench nestled in each other's arms.

"How did your shadowing go?" Lois finally asked, breaking the silence. "Did you learn anything more about Melissa's ex?"

"Not a whole lot. I learned his name is Kevin Downing and that he likes to go to the bar after work, but that's it. If he has been stalking Melissa, he didn't do it last night."

"Well, we haven't had anybody following us, so that doesn't rule him out. Do you think he is the one who has been doing it?"

"I don't know. I know he has a serious anger problem."

"I just don't know who else it could be. When we film tomorrow, check out the people in the room. Look and see if anyone watching her looks jealous or creepy or anything."

"I will, but you should get back to the apartment before you start to worry Chloe and Melissa. I'll walk you home," he said, standing up.

"That's a bit of an old fashioned gesture but sweet," she said with a smile, standing up and taking his hand.

sss

Lois crept into the apartment. The apartment was quiet and dark. Both Melissa and Chloe were sound asleep. She was relieved. She didn't want to have to explain where she'd been tonight. She was exhausted but in high spirits. She flopped onto the couch and was asleep almost as soon as she shut her eyes.

Lois was the first one up the next morning. She had coffee percolating in the pot. She was staring dreamily off into space as she thought about last night, replaying the happy scene in her mind.

"You look happy," Melissa commented, as she came into the kitchen. "In fact, you're positively glowing."

"I got a good night's sleep last night."

"I managed to sleep more restfully myself," Melissa agreed

Chloe had slipped in behind Melissa and raised an eyebrow, not buying the reason for Lois' glow. She knew that she had talked to Clark last night.

Lois suddenly seemed to remember that there was coffee in the pot and quickly took it out. She poured herself a cup first and tasted it. It was as she had suspected. She burnt the coffee.

"Sorry. I don't usually screw up the coffee," she apologized to Melissa

Chloe cleared her throat. "Just every other drink and edible item known to man."

Lois took the time to shoot a glare in her direction before turning back to Melissa. "You can go downstairs for some coffee."

"Oh, right, that's handy."

"And critical at this time in the morning."

"Are you coming?" Melissa asked, stopping before she opened the door. "Don't forget we're reshooting that scene. We have to be there early."

"In a minute. I just have to talk to my roommate for a second."

Melissa smiled and said, "Sure. I'll meet you downstairs."

Once she was safely down the stairs, Lois said, "I'm sorry about last night. I overreacted."

"So you're not mad at me?"

She smiled. "I'm happy for you. I'll even help you pack," Lois said, picking up Chloe's hairbrush and putting it into the cardboard box that Chloe had started on.

Chloe chuckled and took out the hairbrush. "I'm not moving out for another 2 weeks. You're not that in a hurry to get rid of me, are you?"

"I just thought that if a person dragged another person out of bed while the sun was still down that they must be leaving in the morning."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Chloe said sheepishly. "I just thought I'd better get it over with while my courage was up and there was a witness around."

"Just be glad that you're my little cousin and that I love you, otherwise you would be deservingly on the floor right now."

Chloe laughed and Lois gave her cousin a quick hug before going down to join Melissa. "Congratulations on the new job."

sss

"Mr. Stern wants to check in with one of us face-to-face, so I'll go. I don't really even have to be at the studios today."

"Okay. Try to get back before the filming starts. It wouldn't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes." She followed him to the exit door.

"I will."

She gave Clark a fast kiss before he left. Then she turned to see Melissa standing there with her mouth open.

Lois took a hold of her arm and turned the corner to get back into the long hallway. They weren't far from Melissa's dressing room. "You're dating Andrew!" Lois put a hand over her mouth. "Shhh." She dragged her into the dressing room. The couch had been exchanged for a new one and everything looked normal again.

When she removed her hand, Melissa was smiling. "Is he the ex that you couldn't get over?"

Lois felt leery about telling anybody anything that matched their real life when undercover, but it was too late to hide it now. "Yes."

She gave a little squeal. "It all makes sense now why he burst into your room, why I've been catching you guys hanging out together, the amazing love scene. Wow, no wonder you were so worried about that love scene. So you're back together now?"

"Yes," she answered, hoping Melissa was ready to drop the subject.

"That's great. We just have to make sure Millie doesn't find out about it."

"Why?"

"She doesn't usually like romances between her actors. She'll give you a tougher time than ever. She's afraid bitterness will seep into the performance if the couples break up."

Lois suddenly realized she could turn Melissa's discovery to her advantage and find out more about Kevin. "So what about your ex? Do you see you and him getting back together?"

"I assume you're talking about Kevin. Not really."

"Does he scare you?"

"Kevin?" she laughed. "He's perfectly harmless. His bark is worse than his bite as they say."

"Are you sure?"

"I dated the man for 8 months and I've known him even longer. Trust me."

Lois thought over that momentarily. She wondered how good a judge of character Melissa was.

"So how did you guys meet?" Melissa asked, turning the questioning back to Lois.

"That's a long story and we have to get ready for rehearsal."

Melissa checked her watch. "You're right, but I want to hear all about it later."

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Lois had finished the scene. Millie was not as thrilled with her performance as yesterday, but after a few retakes, she was satisfied. Melissa still had another scene to film today.

Lois joined Clark. "Did you see anything suspicious?"

"Everything looked fine to me," he answered, "and the lights are safely hung this time, but we probably shouldn't leave."

"I agree completely."

Melissa and another actress, Donna, began their scene. Donna was playing the jealous wife of one of Judith's boyfriend, who would take out a knife and actually use it on Melissa's character.

Lois was mildly interested in the scene. She had learned how it was to be done from Melissa. Melissa was going to wear a piece of hard plastic in the place where the prop knife would go, which was her side; it wasn't that it was a dangerous stunt, but it was so that she wouldn't be bruised with enthusiastic thrusts. The woman had already shown herself to be too enthusiastic and had missed the target a time or two, for which she apologized profusely and Melissa accepted the apology. The only difference from rehearsal was that it would also bust a bag of fake blood under Melissa's blouse. This was the only part that hadn't been rehearsed, so as not to ruin a lot of shirts.

The scene went off exactly as rehearsed. Judith laughed at the woman's threats. Lois had suffered under the illusion that soap actors were substandard, but they were really quite talented. The jealous wife character went from anger to surprise at being mocked to plain enragement as she reacted to the laughing. It looked as if the actress had actually landed the blow in the proper spot. Melissa was to fall down and lay there for a few moments, which she did wonderfully. She looked shocked and in pain just as the script called for. Lois again marveled at her acting skills.

When Melissa stayed on the ground longer than she was supposed to, everyone slowly came to the realization that someone must have changed the prop knife for a real knife. There was too much blood coming from Melissa to be all fake blood.

"Someone call 911!" shouted Millie. She didn't have to. The assistant director already had his cell phone out and was telling them the situation. Someone else was applying pressure to the wound.

The security guard had heard the commotion and had come in. When he saw the bleeding and the bloody knife in Donna's hand, he immediately went over to take the knife and restrain the woman.

"I didn't know," she cried loudly as the security guard held onto her, even though she didn't look as if she were going to make a break for it. "I didn't know," she muttered repeatedly but more softly.

It didn't take too long for the paramedics to arrive. They lifted Melissa onto a stretcher and rolled her toward the ambulance. Clark and Lois followed them out along with a few other people. She was still conscious, but she was ashen white by now, not far from matching the white sheet on her stretcher. The paramedics began lifting her onto the ambulance. "Kristin, will you ride with me?" she asked in a shaky voice.

Lois hesitated for just a moment.

"I'll follow you to the hospital," Clark said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

One of the paramedics, a tall blonde guy, looked as if he recognized Lois. He probably did. She'd had one too many rides in the back of an ambulance. Fortunately, he didn't say anything to her. Lois hated riding in the back of ambulances. It was so sterile and confining.

"Are you pregnant?" the blonde paramedic asked Melissa.

Melissa shook her head.

"Your age?"

"28," she replied.

They were monitoring her breathing, her pulse and blood pressure, all the while keeping pressure on her wound. The other paramedic, a shorter, chunkier man, pulled out his walkie talkie. "Patient is 28 year old female, blood pressure 96/72, pulse 107, respiratory 18 per minute. Patient is suffering from a knife wound on her right side."

Things got quiet after the questioning; they simply monitored her condition.

Lois should have been planning how to write the article, but she had a feeling that the culprit still had not been caught. Someone had switched that knife. She did not think that Donna would be so stupid as to kill Melissa with witnesses around, especially when the letter writer had hid his or her identity with anonymous notes, but then she couldn't completely be ruled out either. Whoever did it was not sane. It could be Kevin, Millie, or any number of people that had been milling around during rehearsal.

She took a deep breath. She had been watching the rehearsal closely, but obviously not close enough, and she was sure that Clark had observed enough to know the same. She remembered 5 people who had been near the knife prop. One was the actress who had wielded the knife. The others were Millie, one of the extras, the prop mistress, and Kevin. She would compare notes with Clark, but unless the perpetrator had managed to make their self invisible, there was no doubt that it had to be one of them.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Clark and Lois waited outside. They had both agreed that they saw only those 5 people around the prop. The nurse came out. "Melissa is asking to see you."

Lois entered the hospital room. She was looking better. There was color in her cheeks again and she was sitting up. She was attached to an IV that was feeding her blood. "How are you?"

"It isn't that serious. The doctor said it looked like a lot more blood than it was due to the fact that it was mixed with fake blood, but I still need a little bit of blood. He said that without the plastic covering it could have gone in deeper and been fatal. I guess it's a miracle really that Donna didn't miss."

"So do you think it was Donna?"

"No. How could it be? Would the coward that has been sending me those letters anonymously do the dirty work himself in front of witnesses, and she looked shocked to see me wounded. I'm fairly certain it wasn't Donna. Besides, there are more sure places to strike if she was serious about it."

Someone opened the door. It was a cop that she knew. Lois pressed her back against the wall, hoping that he wouldn't notice her. After he asked Melissa a few questions about what happened, he closed the notebook and took a closer look at Lois.

"I didn't know that they were allowing the press back here," he said in surprise. He was fairly new on the force, young and eager but not always very sharp.

"I think you must have me confused with someone else," she said, hoping he would take a hint that she didn't want her cover blown, but he didn't take it.

"I play cards with you every Thursday night, Lane. I think I know who you are, which reminds me, I'll get that 10 dollars I owe you next payday I promise."

She closed her eyes in frustration. There was no way she could get out of it now. You didn't play cards with and owe somebody and not be able to pick them out of a lineup, especially when you were a cop. She looked over at Melissa who regarding her with suspicion, anger, and hurt all wrapped up into one.

It finally sunk in what he had done. He reddened. "Whoops, I'm sorry. Listen, I have to get this report in. Good luck."

"How could you?" Melissa demanded with wet eyes as soon as he was gone. "I thought you were my friend, but I see you were just using me to get the story."

"The story is not my main concern; your life is. I am interested in seeing and writing about bringing someone to justice. I'm not just writing this for the sake of a juicy story."

"And why should I believe you when you have lied to me all this time, Kristin, but that's not your real name, is it?"

"No, it's Lois."

Her face registered surprise. "Lois Lane? You do all those Blur stories, don't you?"

"Yes," Lois said slowly, not sure if this was good or bad yet.

"Well, I do remember that time you stood up for the Blur when no one else did. I guess you're not too awful a person. Do you have any leads on who it might be?"

"I have a short list. I'm getting ready to dig into it right now."

"And Andrew is a reporter too?"

"Yes."

"I should let you get to it and hope somebody figures it out before he or she finishes me off."

"You'll be safe in here. I don't think they're going to let anybody through that you don't approve of, so be careful who you let through even if you think you trust them."

"I will." She smiled. "You know I should have suspected you weren't an actress the moment I saw your first performance."

"Thanks a lot," Lois said, smiling back and knowing it was true.

"How is she?" Clark asked when she came out.

"She'll be fine."

Kevin came into the hall without his usual sour look, in fact, he looked worried. He also carried flowers in his hand.

"Why are you here?" Lois asked, her arms folded.

"To see Melissa. Is she going to be alright?"

"Yes, but don't think you're going to get in to see her."

"I would never hurt, Melissa. I swear," Kevin said earnestly.

"Be that as it may, everyone is a suspect right now."

"I'm glad," he said. "Someone at work did this to her, either Donna or someone else, and they should be restricting her visitors."

Clark and Lois moved, so that he could get by. They watched as Kevin went straight to the nurse's station. As he spoke with the nurse, he pointed to the flowers in his hand.

"Do you believe him?" Lois asked.

"I think I do."

"I know it could just be a pretense, but his concern does seem genuine."

"We should question the other 4."

Lois nodded and looked back at Kevin as they moved toward the elevator. Kevin wasn't going to be admitted. She was relieved. She wasn't as suspicious of him anymore, but that didn't mean she trusted him.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Clark and Lois came out of the police station. They had wanted to speak with Donna, but she was still being questioned by the police.

"We can talk to her later," Clark said. "We should probably go down to the studio and see if any of them are still there."

Lois checked her watched. "They might be, but with no more filming being done today, it's hard to say."

The extra was sitting on the couch and reading a magazine in the lobby when they got there. They went over to her. "Mind if we talk?" Clark asked.

"Not at all," she said flirtatiously. Clark took the chair on the right and Lois took the chair on the left of her. Clark led the questioning, since the extra virtually ignored Lois' presence because she was so busy fawning over Clark.

"It's a shame about what happened to Melissa, isn't it?" he began.

"Oh, I know. I wonder if they'll be looking for an actress to take her place?"

Lois was disgusted that she saw a job opportunity when someone had been injured. She looked over at Clark to see if he was thinking the same thing. There was a motive if she wanted Melissa's job. He must have thought the same thing because although he sounded sympathetic, he was pursing it further by asking, "I'll keep my ears open for you. It must be tough being an extra."

"I don't know. It was a great break for me. I don't make a whole lot as an extra of course, but I have a side job teaching acting to children. It's a beginning and I'm scraping by. I just want a little more money and to prove to my parents that I'm not crazy for getting a degree in acting."

"I can understand that," Clark said. "Melissa is a bit of an egotist, isn't she?"

The extra shrugged, "She's always been nice to me." She turned her attention back to the magazine. She was losing interest in the conversation.

"Well, thanks for your time," Clark said, standing up. Lois followed him to the hallway.

"What do you think?" Lois asked.

"Maybe she suspected what we were doing after the second time I mentioned Melissa."

"Perhaps," Lois said. "Or she thought you were more into Melissa than flirting with her."

"That could be too," he agreed. "I guess we can't exactly cross her off the suspect list."

They stopped in front of Millie's door and Lois knocked. The door next to Millie's opened. It was the assistant director, Bob. "Millie's not here right now."

"Where is she?" Lois asked.

He shrugged. "I really don't know. I do know she was as angry as anything when she left. Too many interruptions filming I suppose."

"Well, thank you," Clark said. "We'll speak with her later then."

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Not really," Lois answered.

Bob shut the door back.

"So what do you think about Millie taking off angry?" Clark asked Lois as they moved further down the hall.

"When is that woman not angry?"

"She seemed pretty pacified after our love scene."

She looked at him with an exasperated expression, while he grinned.

The light in the prop shop was on. They looked inside for the prop mistress, but they didn't see anybody in there. They went further inside and slowly walked around the room and checked down the aisles. There more items than seemed possible. It was like being in a junk shop. There was everything from fancy glass dishes to styrofoam cups.

They were both startled as they turned around to head back out and found a woman was standing there. Fortunately, it was just Melissa.

"Why are you here?" Lois demanded.

"I am stitched up and fixed up. I wanted to be released and help. Besides, my car is here."

"It's very dangerous for you to be here," Clark explained. "And you should be resting."

"Did you see Kevin?" Lois asked.

"No, but I got the flowers he bought me. He likes to act like the world's biggest grouch, but he is one of the sweetest guys I have ever met."

"Are you thinking about getting back together with him?" Lois queried.

"Maybe," she said. "What are you doing in here anyway?"

"Looking for one of the people we suspect," Lois told her, "but I am going to take you back to my apartment, so you can lie down and get some rest without having to worry about a maniac, and I'll make sure you're not alone."

"I told you. I want to help. I don't have the faintest idea who might be doing this, but surely there is something for me to do." Melissa picked up a white polar bear and gave a small chuckle. "I remember this. We had a storyline that took place at a carnival last year. Judith's boyfriend won it for her."

Lois took the stuffed animal from her and placed it back down on the shelf. "Walk down memory lane some other time. We have to get you out of here. There really isn't anything you can do except put yourself in jeopardy."

Before they made it to the exit, the lights went out and they were plunged into total darkness.

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Lois felt Clark push her behind him and Melissa was clinging to her arm. Lois and Melissa desperately hoped that it was simply a power outage, but Clark knew that it wasn't.

One small light flashed on in front of them. It lit up the woman's face like a child telling a ghost story, but it was no game.

"Beth?" Melissa said. It was the prop mistress.

"Surprised?" she said with a wicked grin. "You know I tried to stay low, but I'm getting really fed up with this." She had a oxygen mask in her other hand. She walked over to a pipe on the wall. "A gas leak will take care of you. I'm glad you're all so close, because you're going to die together. I'd just like to thank you all for making this so easy."

"Why?" Melissa asked. "Why are you doing this? Why did you do it to Lillian?"

"Simple. Kevin. He and I are meant to be together. He just has to get the vixens out of his life to see it."

She lifted a hammer off one of the shelves and held it above the pipe ready to bust it open, but her flashlight went out with a fizzle as the glass popped. There was a small shuffling and then the lights came back on. Clark had Beth in a firm hold.

Millie and Bob ran into the room. "Is everyone okay?" Bob asked. "The lights went out and we were afraid the killer would—" he stopped as he took in the scene. "Beth?"

"I'm afraid so," Melissa said.

Millie had her cell phone out and called the police. It didn't take them long to get there and cart a livid Beth away.

"How did you and Kristin get involved in this?" Bob asked Lois and Clark.

"We're actually reporters," Lois said.

"You're reporters?" Millie repeated, sounding somewhat accusatory.

"Yes, ma'am," Clark affirmed.

She came over and shook their hands. "In that case, thank you. I'm delighted that you were put on this story." It wasn't quite the reaction they were expecting. "If you hadn't been, Melissa would probably be dead now just like poor Lillian. If I've been short with you, it's partially because I've been so worried about Melissa's safety."

"And the other part is that she's just a jerk," Bob said.

Mille looked back at Bob with a smile. "It's true."

"I'm sorry that you'll have to get new actors," Clark said. "But I bet you're glad to throw out the scenes with us in them."

"I'm going to keep that love scene. It was too perfect to lose. We'll just make sure to hire people who look similar and not use a direct shot of your faces."

"Oh, thanks," Lois said sarcastically. Clark didn't look too thrilled either.

After a round of goodbyes and thanks on the part of Melissa, Millie and Bob, they left.

"Do you think she was serious?" Clark asked.

"I have no doubt. Millie doesn't strike me as the type who likes to kid around. With any luck, nobody will be able to tell that it's us."

"This is the type of thing that could haunt us for a long time to come if someone recognizes us. Coworkers, children, grandchildren."

"If I were you, I'd be more worried about the General seeing it."

Clark's eyes widened. There was no rhyme or reason for it, but Lois' father scared him just a little. "What do you mean?"

"He'd make it his life's mission to hunt you down."

He chuckled nervously, "You're not serious, are you? I mean you are the type who likes to kid around. Lois!" he called after her retreating form.

sss

"I still think you two have a bad tendency to get too involved in your stories," Stern said gruffly. "You're supposed to be observers and interviewers, not changers and shakers."

Clark and Lois waited anxiously. They could hear a but in his voice.

"You do always seem to get the story though and as long as I don't see your names and faces in other papers…"

He picked up the paper and looked over their story again. "This is good stuff."

Both Clark and Lois gave sighs of relief and smiled at each other.

"I can also see you got your problems worked out. Good. I was tiring of the cold spell, and I'm going to put you together on more stories. I've learned that you two work better working together than competitively."

sss

A couple of days later, Lois was reclined on the couch and watching TV. A preview for _Love and Passion _came on. She groaned and flipped the TV off. The phone rang.

Lois answered it. "Hello?"

"You interviewed Melissa Daggert!" Lucy said excitedly.

Lois had been prepared for the possibility of this conversation. "I didn't know you read my articles."

"Even if I didn't, you don't think I'd miss an article relating to _Love and Passion_, do you?"

"I guess that's true. Have you ever thought about broadening your interests?"

Lucy ignored Lois' teasing. "Was she nice?"

"She was nice enough. She doesn't let her talent go to her head."

"How long did you interview her?"

"I didn't exactly interview her," Lois said slowly.

"What do you mean?"

Lois sighed. She was bound to find out sooner or later. "I went undercover as an actress."

"What!" Lucy screamed into the phone. Lois pulled the phone away from her ear. "Are you lying to me?"

"I wouldn't make something like this up."

"Are they going to keep any scenes with you in them?"

"Well, technically one scene, but believe me when I say you don't want to watch it."

There was a pause on the line as Lucy figured out what that meant. "Eww, gross. I don't want to see that."

"Just be careful when Emma starts having flashbacks."

"Speaking of Emma, have you read the rumor mill?"

"What's a rumor mill?" Lois wanted to put her foot in her mouth the moment she said it. Lucy would take it as interest in hearing more about the show.

"It's what might be coming up in the show. Apparently Judith tampered with the blood test. Emma and Collin aren't really related after all."

Lois laughed, "That's good to know."

"Although, I'm sure it'll be months before they figure that out. That's the beauty and the torture of a soap opera."

"Unfortunately, I know all about the torture part of it."

"Oh, and guess what's happening with Bruce and Rachel?"

Lois settled comfortably on the couch. This was going to be a long phone conversation.

The End


End file.
